Math Mammoth South African version placement tests

The placement tests below are "end of the year" tests for Math Mammoth South African version. In other words, the tests are meant to be taken AFTER studying the particular grade.

You can also use these tests as general maths diagnostic tests, to help you find if your student has any gaps or has not learned specific topics, because the tests group the questions by topic. Just look at the test results per "sections" of similar problems (addition, multiplication, measuring, geometry, place value, problem solving). You can always email me your child's test results if in doubt.

I advise that in order to start with Math Mammoth complete curriculum for grade level X, the student should score 80% or more in the previous year's "end of year" test. Children scoring between 70 and 80% may also continue with the next grade, depending on the types of errors (careless errors or not remembering something, vs. lack of understanding). Use your judgment.

Tip: If you notice your child has problems with one or two concept areas in a particular test, but otherwise does fine, you can use Math Mammoth Blue Series books to "fill in those gaps".

You can also email me with your test results if you have trouble deciding which Blue Series book you should use for such remedial work.

Questions about placement

My K student wants more challenge and to do 1st grade math. How can I know if the Light Blue grade 1 is the right choice for my child?

The Light Blue grade 1 starts out with the same material as these books from the Blue Series: Addition 1 and Subtraction 1. Look over those, see their samples and contents, and that will probably tell you if your children are ready for grade 1.

A student misses (or doesn't even try) most of the word problems in the test but does okay with calculation problems.

This is a COMMON situation for many students. It usually stems from the lack of good word problems in the maths program the student has studied from. Please read what I have written about the problem with word problems so you can understand its origins better.

To help such a student, you could:

Go through certain books in the Blue Series and only do the word problems and lessons pertaining to them, skipping the calculation problems. Use this as a guideline:

I'm a Math-U-See user and my child has not studied some of the materials you cover earlier than MUS. How do I switch over to Math Mammoth?

I'd simply recommend you first have her take a placement test to know exactly what she knows and what she doesn't about those topics that MUS does not cover as much, such as measuring, money, clock, geometry and problem solving.

Then once you have had the child take the test, you can choose books from the Blue Series to address specific topic areas (see the chart above).

Remember also, I'm ready to guide you with these decisions. Just let me know the child's test results by sections.

Math Mammoth Tour

Confused about the different options? Take a 7-day virtual email tour around Math Mammoth! You'll receive:

An initial email to download your GIFT of over 400 free worksheets and sample pages from my books;6 other emails on 6 subsequent days that describe the different series of Math Mammoth products, answering the most commonly asked questions, including "What is the difference between all these different-colored series?"

This way, you'll have time to digest the information over one week, plus an opportunity to ask me personally which book would be right for your child or students.

Note: You will FIRST get an email that asks you to confirm your email address.
If you cannot find this confirmation email, please check your SPAM/JUNK folder.

"Mini" Math Teaching Course

This is a little "virtual" 2-week course, where you will receive emails on important topics on mathematics education. The topics include:

- Teaching multiplication tables
- Why fractions are so difficult
- How to help a student who is behind
- Should you use timed tests
- The value of mistakes
- And more!

You will also receive a GIFT of over 400 free worksheets and sample pages from my books right in the very beginning.

Note: You will FIRST get an email that asks you to confirm your email address.
If you cannot find this confirmation email, please check your SPAM/JUNK folder.

Math teaching tips & resources

Enter your email to receive math teaching tips, resources, Math Mammoth news & sales, humor, and more! I tend to send out these tips about once monthly, near the beginning of the month, but occasionally you may hear from me twice per month (and sometimes less often).